Real Madrid galactico of all galacticos, Kylian Mbappe, has been battling some sore knees for awhile. He missed out on the win over Benfica in midweek, but he did start the loss to Osasuna last weekend. On Valentine’s Day, he went an unused substitute against Real Sociedad.
Mbappe will most likely play this weekend versus Getafe, but you never know. It’s possible his minutes might be managed.
Real Madrid vs Getafe FYIs
Kickoff: Monday March 2, 8pm, El Estadio Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid win 73% Draw 17% Getafe win 10%
La Liga Standings, Form: Real Madrid 2nd, 60 pts WWWWD Getafe 13th, 29 pts, DDWWL
Real Madrid Team News
However, we do have some really positive Real Madrid injury news to relate- Rodrygo is back! He’s recovered from his hamstring injury and he’s now good to go again.
Dean Huijsen (calf muscle tear) and Raul Ascenscio (head and neck) will be out for another week or so.
Elsewhere Jude Bellingham and Eder Militao remain out with hamstring problems with the former set for an April comeback while the latter should be back on later on this month (by “this month” we mean the one that starts on Sunday)
When you add it all up, you’re left with only two fit central defenders for this match- Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba. And that means something that rarely ever occurs- a start for the latter.
Honestly, there are no other options, so keep that in mind when you look at our first team prediction here.
Real Madrid Predicted Starting XI vs Getafe (4-3-3 formation)
Thibaut Courtois (GK); Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Alvaro Carreras; Federico Valverde, Aurlien Tchouameni, Camavinga; Arda Guler, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius Jr.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.